Various Legislature Portfolio Committees are today heading to Joe Gqabi District Municipality, to conduct oversight visits in preparation for the upcoming Taking Legislature to the People Programme. The week long oversight visits will take place from 26 to 29 August 2014 and are a fact-finding mission mainly by Portfolio Committees falling under the Social Needs Cluster.
Taking Legislature to the People is an oversight and public participation programme of the EC Provincial Legislature. Through the programme the Legislature exercises its constitutional obligation to oversee government programmes. This programme is embarked on to fulfil the Legislature's desire to address the issues affecting people on the ground, who have not yet achieved optimal service delivery levels. It also gives an opportunity to the ordinary citizens to engage face-to-face with their elected public representatives on issues affecting them.
This is an annual event aimed at making the Legislature more visible and accessible to the communities, and also to make sure that voices of the people of the province are incorporated in the Legislature Oversight work. Taking Legislature to the People is an addition to the existing Sectoral Parliaments that the Legislature conducts. It is an ordinary sitting of the House, which takes place outside Bhisho precincts.
The Eastern Cape Provincial Legislature has a constitutional obligation (Section 118) to promote public participation and public education in legislative processes. In order to facilitate such, the Legislature has to educate and encourage public participation in all its programmes thereby deepening democracy. Taking Legislature to the People will take place in Joe Gqabi District Municipality on 14 to 17 October 2014.
Enquiries:
Bulelwa Ganyaza
Senior Manager : Media Liaison
Cell: 071 642 3490
